Ahead of her Bellator world title bout against Cris Cyborg, Irish fighter Sinead Kavanagh speaks to Sky Sports about realising her life-long ambitions, how she will approach the champion, and her friendship with Olympic champion Kellie Harrington.
Thursday 11 November 2021 10:41, UK
Sinead Kavanagh often gets nervous before big fights.
But this week is different. This week, she is fighting Cris Cyborg for the Bellator Women's Featherweight World Championship. Having worked for her entire life to reach this point, she is relaxed ahead of Friday night.
"I feel great, I feel amazing. My weight is on point. I'm ready for this," she told Sky Sports.
"This is where I want to be. All them fights I've had, I was more nervous. I wanted to get to this stage. I'm here now, so I'm going to enjoy it.
"I'm calm and collected. I feel like I'm more than ready, my whole life was for this moment. So whatever will be, will be. I'm going to give it my all. I will come away with that belt. I will give it my all. No matter what happens, I know I've done everything."
Bidding to become the first Irish world champion in the promotion, the Dubliner is relishing the contest.
"[It would mean] everything. Everything I've worked for, I'm doing this since I was a kid, combat sports. So it's going to be my dream come true," she added.
In her path stands one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts. Cyborg, 24-2, is undefeated in Bellator, but Kavanagh says the Brazilian champ has been avoiding her.
"It was frustrating. She was dodging me, she said she would fight anyone in the division. Number 10 to number one. 'Except for number five, she's not good enough'. That's what she said," Kavanagh said.
"They were her words, that I wasn't good enough to fight her. It was frustrating, because I'm her worst nightmare, I'm the one that can actually do this. I haven't been the luckiest. A few fights, I've been robbed.
"I should be on a three-fight winning streak. I'm next in line, and she was calling out other people.
"I'm in my element here, I've nothing to be afraid of.
"She can't hurt me. Usually the other girls, they go down and they give up. She doesn't knock them physically out. I'm prepared for this.
"I can bring a skillset. I've boxed for a long time. I boxed for Team Ireland. I was on the high performance. I boxed Savannah Marshall, Natasha Jonas, I boxed all the big names in the game. I've a good pedigree of fights behind me. And I think that's what I bring to the table, my skillset."
Kavanagh is gunning to become a world champion, and follow in the footsteps of close friend and former boxing teammate Kellie Harrington, who won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
"I boxed with Kellie for years," Kavanagh said.
"I met up with her after [the Olympics]. We had coffee and we were talking. It was crazy that she won the gold this year, and now I'm fighting for the world championship!
"We were just saying how destiny, it's crazy how the universe works. I'm so happy for Kellie, she deserves every bit of that glory that she's done!"
And the goal is to bring the Bellator Women's Featherweight belt back to Dublin, and take a picture alongside Harrington's Olympic gold medal.
"Wouldn't that be amazing! That's what I have in my head," she said.
But for now, she is fully focused on the task at hand:
"All the training is done. Just tactics stuff, going through things with John [Kavanagh], things that might happen. Weight is on point. I've nothing to worry about."
